The Natural Fiber Guide: Build a Beautiful and Functional Wardrobe

We love being on the journey together pioneering a return to healthy fibers with functional and beautiful design. We believe the future of fashion is clean natural fibers and thoughtful design for all seasons of life.

The Next Era of Natural Fibers: What We Expect To See

Natural fibers will become the new baseline. As demand for cotton, linen, wool, and other natural materials grows, more large brands will begin to adopt them at scale. In the coming years, we will likely see significantly more “organic cotton” and “natural fiber” labels across every price point in the market.

This will be a positive shift, but it will also change how clothing should be evaluated. At the same time, certifications like GOTS speak to fiber sourcing and processing standards; they do not define fabric quality, staple length, garment construction, fit development, comfort, longevity or craftsmanship. And those elements are what determine how a garment actually feels, wears, and lives in a wardrobe over time.

As organic becomes more widely available, the differentiation in clothing will continue to move from what something is made of to how thoughtfully it is made and designed to function in real life.

Fiber content alone does not determine quality. A label cannot tell the full story of a garment. Two dresses may both be made from organic cotton while performing completely differently over time. Fabric weight, knit density, stitching quality, recovery, shrinkage control, and finishing processes all influence how a piece ages after repeated wear and washing.

Words such as “organic,” “natural,” and “sustainable” may begin to appear more frequently across a wider range of products and price points. As these terms become more common, understanding the full picture becomes increasingly important.

Natural fibers deserve thoughtful construction. We believe garments should not only be made from better materials, but also designed to move comfortably through everyday life including homemaking and motherhood, nursing, rest, and repeated wear across seasons.

A garment worn hundreds of times often has greater long-term value than one purchased impulsively and discarded quickly, regardless of marketing claims. Certification covers how cotton is grown not how good the fiber is. A certification label can still mean short-staple, lower-grade fiber processed cleanly; it simply tells you cotton was grown and processed responsibly. What it doesn't guarantee is fiber quality.

We design with repeat wear in mind: timeless silhouettes, versatile layering, comfortable fit, and fabrics chosen for softness and durability over time. For example, we source long staple cotton (3.0cm). The result is fabric that's demonstrably better to wear and own.

A Conversation on Cotton

Harmful chemicals can be found in natural fibers not just synthetics. The labels don't tell the full story of the ingredient list of what is in the natural fiber and this makes things a bit complicated.

The cotton industry has kept the conversation on fields and farmers, with no mention of the chemistry lab. Then funding research that focused on agricultural sustainability while the finishing supply chain operated totally off the radar of consumers.

The finishing chemicals applied after farming: formaldehyde resins, optical brighteners, synthetic dyes, stain resistance, rarely get discussed because the “natural fiber” framing ends the conversation at the farm gate.

Conventional cotton made with synthetic dyes & chemical finishes (and more in prints) can release toxins through skin contact, sweat, and heat:

Azo Dyes: Linked to carcinogens when broken down in the body.

Formaldehyde: Used for wrinkle resistance; known skin irritant.

Heavy Metals (Lead, Cadmium): Found in pigments; accumulate in organs.

PVC & Plastisol: Often used in screen printing; contains phthalates.

Just like with food some pesticides and chemicals can wash off - and some agricultural pesticide residues and chemicals on conventional cotton may decrease during textile processing and repeated washing. However, some chemicals are intentionally engineered to stay attached to the fabric. Many dyes, prints, antimicrobial treatments, some flame retardants, PFAS stain and wrinkle resistance, waterproofing, and performance treatments used in conventional clothing are intentionally designed to bond to the fabric and remain durable through laundering.

Note: As seen in the graphic above, when it comes to skin safe fibers it isn’t black or white. For example Bamboo Rayon/Viscose has heavy processing but the residue in finished fiber is relatively contained. Treated cotton’s finishing chemicals, especially PFAS stain resistance and formaldehyde wrinkle treatments, are applied to the final garment and sit directly against skin. That’s a strong argument for some cotton to be less clean than even Bamboo.

We will often see oversimplified claims on both ends of the spectrum when it comes to cotton:

“All conventional cotton is equally toxic”.  Not all conventional cotton garments contain high risk chemicals. Washing does reduce some removable residues. Exposure levels vary enormously by dyeing, printing, finishes, regulations, and manufacturing quality. A plain lightly dyed conventional cotton tee may have relatively low chemical burden compared to a heavily dyed and printed, stain-resistant dress. This is why OEKO-TEX certification can apply to conventional cotton and even polyester; it's not confirming the fabric is chemical-free but that the fabric is at its acceptable levels that it considers to not be harmful.

“Washing removes the chemicals, so conventional cotton is basically harmless.” This oversimplifies the other direction. Why it’s incomplete: Studies only show reduction of some removable residues. Many textile chemicals are intentionally designed to persist - of course if they all washed out, clothing would no longer be stain resistant or wrinkle resistant, etc so the evidence is in our experience wearing the clothing itself. Textiles are routinely treated with pesticides, PFAS stain resistance, formaldehyde based wrinkle resistance finishes, azo dyes, and plasticizers, many of which don’t fully wash out and can absorb transdermally over time. The skin is the body’s largest organ, and chronic low level exposure to these chemicals has been linked to hormonal disruption, contact dermatitis, and respiratory irritation. Sweat, friction, and wear can release small amounts of metals and textile chemicals from some fabrics, and this is well demonstrated in laboratory studies.

GOTS certification vs OEKO-TEX

GOTS certification restricts every chemical permitted throughout the entire supply chain from the field to the finished garment. No harmful dyes, toxic finishes, synthetic processing chemicals are allowed at any stage. OEKO-TEX, by contrast, tests whether harmful residues remain in a finished product at the end. When you start with GOTS, there’s nothing left to test for, because it was never allowed in the first place.

The assumption that organic cotton fabric might still be finished with toxic chemicals is actually a myth when true GOTS certification is in place. The standard governs the finishing stage just as strictly as the fiber stage. ‘Organic fabric’ and ‘clean finishing’ aren’t two separate things you have to verify independently; under GOTS, they’re the same certification.

This area of women and children's health is under-studied.

The long-term effects of everyday textile chemical exposure are still under-studied, particularly for vulnerable populations like pregnant women, infants, and children.

Ways to Mitigate Exposure to Chemicals in Clothing

Low-toxin, clean options to prioritize are organic cotton, linen, untreated wool, hemp, minimally dyed conventional cotton, GOTS-certified textiles, and PFAS-free finishes.

In the modern clothing industry, brighter, more saturated, “perfect” fabrics often come at a cost with heavier dye loads, synthetic finishes, optical brighteners, and chemical processing designed for mass production. Chemicals in conventional fast fashion cotton prints are specifically engineered to bond to the fibers so they survive hundreds of washes without fading.

Simply choosing more natural, more muted colors and less heavy printing can mitigate toxins. Bright, highly saturated conventional textiles often require more intensive dye chemistry and processing, while undyed and muted shades may involve fewer chemical inputs. When dealing with conventional cotton, synthetics and semi-synthetics the colors most commonly associated with higher-risk dye chemistry are black (often considered one of the “heaviest” dyed colors; black activewear and underwear are frequently flagged in consumer testing because deep blacks require intense saturation and colorfastness treatments), neon/fluorescent colors, very bright synthetic reds (historically some red dyes were associated with problematic azo compounds and heavy metals like cadmium, though regulations vary widely by country and supplier), and deep blue and dark jewel tones (dark saturated colors generally require more dye, more fixatives, more wash cycles, more finishing chemistry).

This is one reason many people choose organic or low-tox textile standards. Certifications like Global Organic Textile Standard and OEKO-TEX are valuable partly because they restrict formaldehyde levels, azo dyes, heavy metals, toxic auxiliaries, PFAS in many cases and problematic finishing chemicals. So the benefit is often broader than simply “organic farming.”

Finding affordable organic cotton brands you trust is helpful. Without certification, "organic cotton" can become a greenwashing term. But GOTS certification means every supplier in the chain - farm to warehouse - must be individually certified and pay annual licensing fees, which is why smaller brands often source GOTS fabric but can't market the finished product as GOTS.

Certifications matter but they are one part of the story. Independent certifications can provide important accountability. At the same time, certifications do not automatically guarantee timeless design, durability, comfort, or craftsmanship.

Let’s explore our favorite and most wearable natural fibers.

LINEN (Mechanically Processed): Mechanically processed linen is made from flax fibers separated through natural and mechanical means typically through dew retting or water retting, then mechanically breaking, scutching, and hackling the fibers. This avoids the chemical retting and softening methods used in much of today’s “commercial” or “softened” linen. 

• Most of the world's quality flax runs through France, Belgium and the Netherlands. This is where the dew retting takes place and the long fibers come out intact. Look for brands that tell you where the linen is from and the GSM.
  
• Mechanically processed linen relies only on water, microorganisms, and physical separation, preserving the purity of the fiber. The dye should at least be OEKO-TEX certified to avoid harmful chemicals.

• Conventional (chemically processed) linen may use alkaline or acid baths, enzymes, or softening resins to speed up retting or make the fabric feel softer. These treatments can leave behind residues like formaldehyde-based finishes, silicones, and synthetic waxes especially in “easy-care” or “wrinkle-free” linens. "Stone washing" or "bio-polishing" is basically pre-aged linen that has lost half its life.

   

REGENERATIVE/ORGANIC COTTON: Organic cotton is lovely for year-round wear and it can be affordable, comfortable and easy to care for. Organic cotton is the perfect material for everyday dresses and soft layering pieces with your linen and wool. Look for long-staple cotton for the best longterm wear.

• Organic cotton and regenerative cotton is grown without the heavy use of synthetic pesticides and herbicides commonly used in conventional cotton farming, helping support healthier soil and lower environmental impact.
• Organic cotton colors are often more natural and muted, and the printing processes on organic cotton are safe and healthy unlike fast fashion conventional cotton. Many organic cotton textiles follow stricter standards for dyes, finishes, and processing chemicals through certifications like Global Organic Textile Standard.
• Organic cotton is durable, practical, and wearable year-round but with a more thoughtful approach to farming and manufacturing. 

NON-SUPERWASHED WOOL: Wool needs to be untreated to be considered a healthy natural fiber option. Superwashing is a chemical treatment used to make wool machine-washable. It removes or coats the natural scales on the fiber with chlorine (to burn off scales), and polymer resins (like Hercosett) to coat the fiber. Untreated wool avoids harmful chemicals and keeps its natural fiber structure - the lanolin, scales, and all. It’s fully biodegradable, naturally odor-resistant, flame-resistant, and breathable. Requires gentle hand washing, but is the healthiest option.

• Since wool can come from different animals (sheep, alpaca, goats), there’s a lot of texture variety.
• Alpaca is extra warm and soft and has the lowest environmental impact in the wool family. Look for RWS certified. Alpaca wool is softer than sheep’s wool and often compared to cashmere in feel.
• Quality wool will be 100% wool or a blend of wool and other natural fibers like cashmere or silk so always check the label for these details.

HEMP: Hemp is becoming a more popular natural fiber and is one of the oldest textile fibers in the world, traditionally valued for its durability and breathability. It's a great option for workout-wear if you're wanting to move away from synthetics or even treated wool. 

• Best when mechanically (dew) retted. Some hemp is chemically processed.
• Hemp fabric is naturally moisture-wicking, helping the body stay cooler and drier in warm weather. The fiber is exceptionally strong and long-lasting and well-made hemp garments can soften over time while maintaining structure.
• With the health and regenerative agriculture benefits, and production and processing improving we may see it become more accessible for those wanting to add it into their wardrobes.

Steps to Building a Natural Fiber Wardrobe

"My closet has always been things I can wear year round and oftentimes beyond a decade. I have a longterm relationship with my clothes, so I don’t shop trends, I’ve always honored my own personal style, and before I was more aware of where my clothes were made, I prioritized natural fibers because they were just higher quality and felt better on my skin. 

I don’t heavily declutter my wardrobe because I like being able to not wear something for a while and rediscover my love for it many years later. Rather than always seeking something new and letting go of pieces I’ll end up missing or rebuying down the road, I buy pieces I’ll want to hold onto - they don’t have to last forever but they can last much longer when we buy quality fibers and care for them properly to extend their life. Plus there’s something lovely about a domesticated wardrobe that’s well-worn and loved - it just feels more like you the more it’s worn."  - Jennifer, founder of Adorned Organics

We want to encourage you to create a wardrobe that focuses less on trends and more on quality, construction, function and building what truly serves you in daily life as you care for your home and family that will be unique to you. 

In a way, having a beautiful and functional wardrobe helps you think less about your closet and allows you to choose your outfits daily with ease, less thought and time, so you can focus on everything else that matters to you.

1. Take inventory of your current wardrobe

2. Start experimenting with different natural fibers 

Based on your lifestyle, needs and preferences some natural fibers may make more sense for you than others. As you experiment with different textures and styles for different parts of your life, you'll soon see what you'll gravitate to most and what suits your own life best.

3. Material integrity: How was it processed?

Fiber quality, dye processes, finishes, and certifications can influence both the feel of a garment and the substances used throughout production.

4. Construction, staple length + micronaire

Seams, stitching, fabric weight, recovery, and pattern construction contribute to how a garment moves, wears, and lasts over time. Why does staple length matter? Think of cotton fibers like hair. Short fibers stick out, catch light wrong, and break. Long fibers lie flat, twist cleanly, and hold together. Our 3.0 cm staple length means fewer fiber ends poking through the surface of your fabric, which means less pilling, a smoother hand feel, and a garment that holds its look wash after wash. Cheaper cotton cuts corners here first. No one talks about micronaire, which measures fiber fineness and maturity. If it’s too low, the fiber is immature; it takes dye unevenly and weakens in processing. Too high, and the fabric feels coarse against skin. For example, ours sits at 4.09, squarely in the optimum range of 3.5–4.9.

5. Longevity: Will this remain in your wardrobe?